Associates

Deborah Marie Murphy, PA-C

Deborah Marie Murphy, PA-C is the latest addition to our staff. Debi graduated from Mountain State University, where she earned her Physician Assistant degree in 1996. She recently moved to Arizona with her physician husband Jonathan. In her life before PA school Debi was a certified Cytopathology Technologist who reviewed thousands of biopsy specimens and PAP smears. She is board certified by the NCCPA (National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants) in Family Practice since 1996. She is particularly interested in women's healthcare, as well as in asthma and allergy management. She has studied Bio-Identical Hormone replacement at several national educational seminars. She attended the 2003 American College for the Advancement of Medicine's Metal Toxicology and Chelation courses. Debi is registered as a Physician Assistant by the Arizona Medical Board and will be assisting with Insulin Potentiation Therapy as well as Allergy treatment and Women's health. She and her husband Jon live in Gilbert and have one son, Tarron and two poodles, Lady and Kadie.

"This is the first time in a long time that I have been excited about coming to work. The therapies are so innovative and helpful, and it is wonderful to see patients helping each other during their treatment sessions, and leaving the office feeling better than when they came in."

Krystine Nguyen, NMD, MPH, RD

Dr. Krystine Nguyen practices Integrative Medicine with a focus on treating cancer patients at the Arizona Center for Advanced Medicine. Her expertise is in nutritional medicine. She is also undergoing training in Insulin Potentiation Therapy (IPT). Dr. Nguyen utilizes the most natural, least invasive and least toxic therapies first before resorting to prescribing pharmaceutical drugs or recommending surgery. She combines the traditional healing with science-based medicine to get the best results for her patients. She chooses treatment based on the individual patient's needs, not based on the generality of symptoms. This personalized medicine has proven successful in treating both acute and chronic conditions.

Dr. Nguyen grew up in Southern California and is now settled in Arizona after completing her medical school training. Dr. Nguyen received her medical degree in Naturopathic Medicine from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Tempe, Arizona, an accredited four-year medical school training in both conventional medicine (covering pharmacology, minor surgery, general medicine, clinical nutrition), and alternative medicine (covering botanical medicine, acupuncture, environmental medicine, homeopathy, hydrotherapy, counseling, physical medicine, and among others.) She is a licensed Naturopathic Physician clinically trained in integrative therapeutics. She completed her clinical rotations in both conventional and alternative medicine and is now pursuing additional training to be a Naturopathic Cancer Specialist.

Dr. Nguyen studied pre-med and received her Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). After college she worked as a Research Associate for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Center at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where she developed an interest in nutrition and decided to pursue a dual degree program in Master of Public Health (MPH) in Nutrition and Registered Dietitian (RD) program at Loma Linda University in California. The MPH degree provided her with nutrition knowledge while the RD program prepared her for a role that entailed a high level of patient interaction. After graduate school, she worked for Kaiser Permanente Hospital in California as a Clinical Dietitian working in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and outpatient clinic. It was the interactions with patients, her contributions in guiding patients to a healthier life, and the appreciation she received from her patients, which convinced Dr. Nguyen that she had much more to offer. She wanted to help patients in a more comprehensive way, one that only a physician can offer. It was a culmination of her love for medicine and her work experience at the hospital that inspired her to pursue a career in medicine. While engaged in the process of applying to conventional medical schools, Dr. Nguyen came across a postcard about a seminar on Diabetes and Naturopathic Medicine. Attending that seminar and learning more about Naturopathic Medicine convinced Dr. Nguyen that she should pursue Naturopathic medical school instead of going the allopathic route. She fell in love with the philosophy and the six principles of Naturopathic Medicine, which emphasize 1) first do no harm by utilizing the most natural, least invasive and least toxic therapies, 2) the healing power of nature, 3) identifying and treating the causes, 4) educating patients in the steps to achieving and maintaining health, 5) concentrating on the whole-patient wellness, instead of just symptomatic treatment, and 6) focusing on overall health, wellness and disease prevention.

Dr. Nguyen's goal is to help patients embrace the statement from Hippocrates, the Father of Western Medicine, who said that "Let your food be your medicine and let your medicine be your food." Dr. Nguyen is a compassionate doctor with a passion to help patients live healthy and thrive. A Thomas Edison quote eloquently captures the essence of why Dr. Nguyen wanted to become a Naturopathic Physician: "The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of disease."

Steven Swerdfeger, PhD, CH

Steven Swerdfeger, PhD, CH, received his training in Hypnosis and Guided Imagery at the Edgar Cayce Association of Research & Enlightenment in Virginia Beach, where he studied with Dr. Allen S. Chips. Advanced training was also received from Dr. David Mullen of Bradenton, Florida, a clinical psychologist specializing in hypnosis; Dr. Robert Moore of Phoenix, Arizona; and Gerald F. Kein of the Omni Hypnosis Center in Deland, Florida.

Sessions are by appointment, with a telephone interview preceding the initial hypnosis session. Clients are frequently able to achieve their specific goals in one or two sessions. Work in the area of regression may occasionally require an extended number of sessions.

Hypnosis and Guided Imagery can be very healing in ways no other method can be. Sometimes we have unconscious mental blocks which either produce noticeable symptoms or act as unseen impediments to healing. They are at the level of the amygdala, which is the level below consciousness, and we are not aware of them until these things are brought up at least to the level of the hippocampus where sensory input from the body is related to the cortex in the forms of thoughts, feelings and emotions.

When something occurs which is so traumatic the conscious mind cannot deal with it, the information that comes into the amygdala, stays there and never comes up to consciousness. This is why people have buried symptoms.

The body's innate wisdom knows it needs to deal with these memories because they make the body sick. If it is an issue of powerlessness, for example, the symptoms may manifest in the abdomen. If a person was beaten as a child, the physical memory and resulting illness may be stored where the body was beaten.

Hypnosis and Guided Imagery can help us to access consciously these things that have been inaccessible. The body's innate wisdom also has a safety mechanism because it will not access anything which the conscious mind feels it cannot deal with.

Steven Swerdfeger has used Hypnosis and Guided Imagery to help people with phantom limb pain, anxiety and depression, phobias, and chronic pain. All of the preceding must be by medical referral. Hypnosis is also helpful in the elimination of recurrent and/or unwanted patterns, the enhancement of abilities, the management and reduction of stress, and it can be an important aid in the recovery from cancer.

Nancy Wigton, M.A., LPC, BCIA-EEG, QEEG-T

Nancy Wigton is an Arizona Licensed Professional Counselor and a Certified Neurofeedback Therapist. She has been in the counseling field since 1986, and established the Applied Neurotherapy Center in 2000 when she added QEEG-based Neurofeedback to her practice. She also has a B.S. in Business Administration with a Computer Information Systems emphasis. Nancy is certified at the Associate Fellow level for EEG Biofeedback from the Biofeedback Certification Institute of America (BCIA), and is also certified as a QEEG Technologist.

A Quantitative Electroencephalograph (QEEG), sometimes referred to as a "brain map," is a procedure where EEG (brainwave) data is gathered and then compared to an age-matched normative database. Information from a QEEG can then be used to see what areas of the brain may be functioning inefficiently, aid in developing individualized and comprehensive treatment protocols, or even assist a physician in determining the best medications or supplements to recommend for various mental health issues. A QEEG can also be performed at the end of a course of treatment to measure and visualize how much improvement has been gained.

Neurofeedback, also known as EEG (brainwave) biofeedback, is a form of therapy for enhancing brain function and promoting self-regulation. A computer is used to record electrical activity at the scalp and give immediate feedback (in the form of visual and/or auditory cues) about brainwave activity. This feedback is then used to help the individual produce brainwaves that support better concentration and emotional regulation. In many cases Neurofeedback can be a truly viable alternative to drugs in the treatment of Attention Deficit related issues, Anxiety and Depression related disorders, and Learning related issues.

Nancy has been able to incorporate some of the newest technologies currently available in the Neurofeedback field. This leads to being able to provide an extremely effective treatment in fewer sessions than traditional Neurofeedback has typically required. Nancy is a full-service Neurofeedback provider. She personally provides all levels of service in her practice; from the initial phone call, to the intake interview, to the QEEG data collection and initial assessments, to the analysis and review of the data, to protocol development, through the actual Neurofeedback sessions.

Nancy is available to assist you in determining if Neurofeedback is an appropriate treatment option and to further discuss your (or your loved one's) treatment needs.